Trying to upgrade to 1.6Gbps EE from out-of-contract 900Mbps BT - not possible

[mike63uk]

I have just spent ages on a call trying to upgrade my broadband from BT 900Mbps to EE Premium 1.6Gbps with the Smart Hub 7 Pro Router to be told that this is not possible for existing customers.  I was told I need to cancel my current BT contract and take out a new EE contract, I don't want to do this as I would lose my BT email and also cannot be without service as I work from home.  The only offer I could get was an offer of EE 900Mbps Ulimate including the Pro router for £1 less than the price of 1.6Gbps Premium, I don't need or require the Home Visist included in the Premium package.  Does anybody know if this limitation is going to be removed soon?  I can get faster and cheaper broadbad from our local altnet, but as I have been a BT customer for 40 years I would like to stay with them if they can sort out their ordering systems.

[mike63uk]

My complaint was closed with no explanation, I have re-opened it.

[mike63uk]

it looks like somebody confinced EE to upgrade them last year - https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/Broadband-Landline/Positive-experience-of-upgrade-from-900Mbps-to-1-6G...

[poopystar]

I've done something similar. I was originally just looking to renew my 900mbs at a reasonable price but that didn't seem to be an option for EE and the 1.6Gbps deal was much better on their website. So I just let my wife take over the line. You can specify what date you want to close the 900mbps account once you have the engineer appointment for the new 1.6Gbps account on the next day to be safe.

I've also had to request a PAC code and will need to transfer my sim to that line too to retain my discount for that. A lot of hoops but £20 a month difference adds up over two years, not to mention for a better product. 

[Rae-7]

You shouldn't really need to do that, to take out a new product with the same provider you already use . 

Yeah it seems EE are being naughty, as the prices for new customers are better than those shown for existing customers, which again I understand to be illegal now (I have screenshots of prices). 

I will be reporting it to the ombudsman. 

In the meantime, sticking with my 900mbs fibre as cant risk losing internet and dont want to transfer all my SIMS to a new account because EE have some weird system going on at their end that prohibited existing customers taking out 1.6Gbps lines. 

[Rae-7]

You make a very good point, my Broadband price goes up each April - i think in contract price rises should be banned. As it makes the benefits of being in a contract kind of defunct. 

Yeah they said I could have the pro router for + £15 , but this makes it a whole £10 more than new customer price and then it will go up by just under a fiver in March!! 

[poopystar]

Understandable. It's a right effort but I'm stubborn and would rather that money went to more important things.

I also feel sorry for what feels like the entire retentions team I dealt with as they couldn't even get close to this price/deal, even just renewing my 900mbps package. I'm sure this counts towards any stats they have to maintain as part of that team, and not being able to compete with themselves must be especially frustrating.

But hey-ho, if it's a new customer you need to be, then a "new customer" I will always be. 

[l1feways]

Hello to all the visitors from BT community 

[mike63uk]

But this product has been available since 2024, so BT/EE do not really have a valid excuse why they have not developed a solution to this problem.